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With the sack clutched in his hand, he moved forward on silent feet.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Cora jumped into the car, and this time, she took the wheel, sparing only a moment to yank the seat forward so that she could reach the pedals, while Gabe slammed the passenger door.

She was going to catch up with these four Army soldiers, whatever it took. They were sneaking out of base in the small hours for a reason that could not possibly be good.

"Okay." Sitting in the passenger seat, Gabe's voice was calm as he directed her down the winding road. "There's a right fork coming up. Take it. Then left."

She flung the car along, bouncing and juddering over the narrow, eroded back roads.

She had a mental image in her mind of the base's layout. To leave the base, they had to drive along a long, straight section of asphalt. But then, there was a crossroad. Cora knew she needed to get them in sight before they reached that crossroad. If they got past it, she might never catch them again.

She pressed down on the gas pedal, her heart racing, her mind working furiously. What could they be doing out here? Where were they going? They hadn't seemed to be carrying anything, but even so, she couldn't shake the image of the next victim, bundled up in the trunk. That was causing her to push the car to its limits.

The engine screamed, and the tires wailed as she took a turn too fast, steering out of it, working the gas to avoid a skid. Now was not the time to crash and burn. Then the bad guys would have won.

Cora steered through the skid and powered on. They were all the way off the ridge now, on flat ground once more, and approaching the base.

Where was the car? Where, where? She narrowed her eyes, flicking her lights onto high beams to get a better view of what was ahead. No car, not yet.

What if she wasn't in time, they'd already reached the crossroad, they were too far ahead of her, and she was too late? The worst case scenario loomed, getting more likely with every moment. Her hands were welded to the wheel, her eyes were fixed on the road.

And then she saw the taillights ahead.

She let out a long breath, smashing her foot down even harder as she fought to gain ground.

She was gaining. But then, she realized that the Jeep had suddenly begun moving faster.

Whether it was seeing her own lights in their rearview mirror, or whether they were far enough from base that the need to be stealthy had gone, the Jeep was speeding up.

Now, it was flying along the darkened road, and the lead that Cora had managed to get was bleeding away with every moment that passed.

"Damn it, Gabe," she said through gritted teeth.

"They're speeding up. I'm going to try to work out where they could be headed." Still calm in the face of catastrophe, Gabe had his map open on his phone and was looking at what lay ahead.

Cora glanced at the map, risking a glimpse away from her focus on the road as she tried to assess the situation. In a few more miles they were going to reach a network of streets, leading into an industrial area of town. At this hour, the place would be as quiet as a morgue, but there were probably a hundred spots along the way to hide. That web of roads would allow the Jeep to lose them. And now she was sure that was what they were planning to do.

"They've seen us," she said. "They know we're following. They were cruising along before they picked up that we were getting closer."

Gabe nodded. "I don't like that they're coming up to that industrial area. It's like a maze.”

“Once they're there, it's going to be nearly impossible to find them. We have to keep them in sight, or they’re going to hide away. Don’t you think?"

"They've definitely seen us," Gabe agreed. "It was when we came into view that they changed their speed. So, where are they going and what the hell are they up to?"

"We're going to find out," Cora promised.

She was pushing her car as fast as it could go. The Jeep was a more powerful vehicle, though. On the open road, it had a big advantage, and could increase its lead through sheer brute speed.

She turned left once more, flooring the gas pedal as they raced to keep up with the Jeep.

"There. He's doing exactly what we thought!" Cora said.

The Jeep took a sharp turn down an alley, disappearing from sight. In the darkness, the distance was deceptive. Cora raced toward the crossroad, hitting the brakes, and clenching her teeth as she saw there were two possible roads it could have taken.

"Where did they go? Which way?"

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